Applied Combinatorics

Presents the tools of combinatorics from an applied point of view. This book focuses on three basic problems of combinatorics: counting, existence, and optimization problems. It contains many examples from the biological, computer, and social sciences, including disease screening, genome mapping, satellite communication and search engines.

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Now with solutions to selected problems, Applied Combinatorics, Second Edition presents the tools of combinatorics from an applied point of view. This bestselling textbook offers numerous references to the literature of combinatorics and its applications that enable readers to delve more deeply into the topics.

After introducing fundamental counting rules and the tools of graph theory and relations, the authors focus on three basic problems of combinatorics: counting, existence, and optimization problems. They discuss advanced tools for dealing with the counting problem, including generating functions, recurrences, inclusion/exclusion, and Pólya theory. The text then covers combinatorial design, coding theory, and special problems in graph theory. It also illustrates the basic ideas of combinatorial optimization through a study of graphs and networks.